HEROES' DAY

HOW APPROPRIATE TO MULL OVER THE COINCIDENCE THAT FEBRUARY 12TH IS BOTH ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY AND THE DATE WHEN THE FIRST VIET NAM PRISONERS OF WAR FLEW HOME. 1809 AND 1973 ARE NOT SO FAR APART IF THE THEMES OF PATRIOTISM AND EMANCIPATION ARE CONSIDERED. LINCOLN LOVED HIS NATIVE COUNTRY AND SACRIFICED HIS LIFE TO PRESERVE ITS ONENESS OUT OF DIVERSITY. SYMBOLICALLY HE BECAME A TORTURED PRISONER OF ITS CIVIL WAR. EMANCIPATON FOR AMERICA'S SLAVES FROM THEIR SLAVEHOLDERS WHO HELD THE ENEMY POSITION, CAME FROM LINCOLN WITH STROKES OF A PEN. UNFORTUNATELY FOR LINCOLN, RELEASE FROM HIS EARTHLY STRUGGLE CAME AT THE HAND OF AN ANARCHIST. FREEDOM WAS SWIFT AND SURE. COMPARE LINCOLN WITH OUR HEROIC POW'S OF VIET NAM, MANY OF WHOM WERE TORTURED AND HELD IN CAPTIVITY FOR YEARS. THEY LOVED AMERICA AND WERE LOYAL TO THEIR MILITARY CODE OF BEHAVIOUR REGARDLESS OF THEIR PERSONAL CONVICTIONS ABOUT THEIR COUNTRY'S CAUSE IN WAR. THEY NEVER ABANDONED HOPE OF EMANCIPATON FROM THEIR BONDAGE. THEIR FREEDOM FLIGHTS ON MECHANICAL EAGLE'S WINGS WERE SWIFT BUT NEVER ASSURED. LINCOLN'S AND THE POW'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO PATRIOTISM ARE UNQUESTIONABLE. EMANCIPATION WAS DEFINED FOR THEM IN HIGHLY PERSONAL TERMS. FEBRUARY 12TH SHOULD BE A HOLIDAY FOR HEROES.